HEALTH

Barnes Hospital

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has for the future of Barnes hospital.

Simon Burns: The Government have pledged that, in future, all service changes must be led by clinicians and patients, not be driven from the top down. The Secretary of State for Health has outlined new, strengthened criteria that he expects decisions on NHS service changes to meet.
	We are advised that there have been discussions between local NHS organisations who are considering how best to provide older people's services in the boroughs of Richmond and Wandsworth, and that they are committed to keeping all local Members of Parliament informed.

Dementia: Alcoholic Drinks

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were diagnosed with alcohol-related dementia in each primary care trust area in each of the last five years.

Anne Milton: This information is not collected by the Department.

General Practitioners: Fees and Charges

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department provides national guidelines to GPs on the fees they may charge to patients for signing certificates and completing medical forms.

Simon Burns: Under the terms of their contract with the national health service, general practitioners (GPs) are required to provide certain, prescribed, medical certificates free of charge-such as those to prove incapacity to work. Outside of these arrangements, GPs also provide a variety of other services which successive governments have regarded as private matters between the patient and the doctor providing the service. The doctor is free to make a charge for these non-NHS services if he or she wishes.
	The fees for the provision of services by GPs outside those contracted for under GP contractual arrangements are not set by the Department nor are they a matter for Government. As independent contractors, this is something for the individual practice to determine. The Professional Fees Committee of the British Medical Association (BMA) suggests fees for such services to help doctors set their own professional fees. However, these fees are guidelines only, not recommendations, and a doctor is not obliged to charge the rates suggested. Where doctors intend to charge for services to patients, the BMA advises them to forewarn patients, at the earliest opportunity, of the likely level of fees.

Hepatitis

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has undertaken an audit of or research on the health of hepatitis C patients after they have been classed as natural clearers.

Anne Milton: As part of the recent 'Review of the support available to individuals infected with hepatitis C and/or HIV by NHS supplied blood transfusions or blood products and their dependants', an expert scientific review of the evidence base on the spectrum and impact of disease associated with hepatitis C infection was undertaken. The issue of patients who clear the virus, either naturally or following treatment, was carefully considered. The group's report is at annex 4 of the review report. A copy of the review report has already been placed in the Library, and a copy of the minutes of the group's meeting has been placed in the Library. The Department has not commissioned any research on this issue.

National Commissioning Board: Research

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what duties the National Commissioning Board has in respect of medical research.

Simon Burns: Clause 19 of the Health and Social Care Bill outlines further provisions for the NHS Commissioning Board including a duty that the Board must, in the exercise of its functions, have regard to the need to promote research on matters relevant to the health service, and the use in the health service of evidence obtained from research.

Sleep: Health Services

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many sleep clinics there are in each primary care trust.

Paul Burstow: The information requested is not held centrally.

Strategic Health Authorities: Consultants

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what  (a) management and  (b) consultancy costs were incurred by each (i) strategic health authority and (ii) primary care trust in (A) 2006-07, (B) 2007-08, (C) 2008-09 and (D) 2009-10.

Simon Burns: Information on expenditure on managers and senior managers for 2006-07 to 2009-10 and consultancy services for 2007-08 to 2009-10 for each strategic health authority and primary care trust has been placed in the Library.
	Expenditure on consultancy services was separately identified in the audited summarisation schedules for the first time in 2007-08.

SCOTLAND

Members

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland pursuant to the answer of 28 March 2011,  Official Report, column 31W, on Members, what criteria his Department used to identify hon. Members who have intimated an issue in Scottish affairs; and which hon. Members have been so identified.

David Mundell: There is no formal method for intimating an interest in Scottish affairs. The Scotland Office encourages all hon. and right hon. Members to take an interest in Scottish affairs and will copy generic correspondence to all Scottish MPs (as defined in the answer of 28 March 2011,  Official Report, column 31W, on Members) and to any MP who has such an interest.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Official Engagements

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in how many weeks he has spent more than three consecutive days on official business in Northern Ireland since May 2010.

Owen Paterson: Since May 2010, there have been five weeks that I have spent more than three consecutive days in Northern Ireland. Further to this there have been 16 weeks where I have spent three or more days in Northern Ireland.

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Employees: Travel

Roger Godsiff: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, how many and what proportion of employees of the Church Commissioners are entitled to travel by first class rail services at the expense of the Church Commissioners within the UK.

Tony Baldry: Employees of the seven Church of England National Church Institutions (NCI's) include all staff working at Lambeth Palace, Lambeth Palace Library, Bishopthorpe Palace in York, the Archbishops Council, the Pensions Board, the National Society for Promoting Religious Education and the Church Commissioners must comply with the NCI's expenses policy.
	The NCI's expenses policy states that:
	"Where possible travel should be undertaken outside peak times during periods when the cost of travel is normally cheaper. Advantage should be taken of discounted rail tickets, where available, by early booking of Advance or other types of Saver fares.
	Class of travel is determined as follows:
	Standard class should be used for all journeys other than where:
	The facilities provided in Standard class do not meet your needs because you are suffering from a temporary or permanent disability
	There are no seats available in standard class
	If you need to travel overnight and use a sleeping berth."

Priests

Anne McIntosh: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, what the average stipend for rural priests was in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Baldry: The Church Commissioners do not differentiate between which benefices are rural and which are urban. The Church of England is keen for stipends to be adequate to enable clergy to perform their ministries without undue financial anxiety, flexible enough to aid clergy deployment and consistent enough to avoid impeding their mobility. In 2010 the national average stipend for incumbents and incumbent status parochial clergy was £22,570. The projected figure for 2011 is £23,050 (based on responses from 36 dioceses).
	Each diocese sets stipends taking into account local circumstances. Dioceses set a diocesan basic stipend for incumbents and incumbent status parochial clergy and most clergy receive stipend at this level. The diocesan basic stipends for 2010 are listed in Annex 2 to the 38(th) Central Stipends Authority Report (GS Misc 977), which is on the Church of England website, and a copy of which should be in the House of Commons Library.
	From April the compulsory national minimum stipend, below which no full-time clergy should be paid, will be £21,370.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Departmental Expenditure

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what expenditure  (a) his Department and  (b) each public body sponsored by his Department incurred on engaging external audit services in each of the last three years; and to which service providers such payments were made in each year.

Chris Grayling: DWP and each public body it sponsors incurred the following expenditure on engaging external audit services in the last three years as follows:
	
		
			  Entity  Auditor  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			  The Department 
			 DWP NAO(1) 2,397,000 2,199,000 2,181,000 
			  Deloittes - 95,476 1,103,985 
			  PWC - - 49,900 
			 Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission NAO (2)- 574,000 637,000 
			 Health and Safety Executive NAO 126,000 129,000 137,000 
			  PKF (UK) LLP 32,810 41,685 38,705 
			 Total  2,555,810 3,039,161 4,147,590 
			  
			  Other sponsored bodies 
			 Pensions Ombudsman/Pensions Protection Fund Ombudsman NAO 15,700 17,500 25,000 
			 Independent Living Fund NAO 52,000 62,000 66,000 
			 The Pensions Advisory Service NAO 3,569 13,750 (3)26,000 
			 The Pensions Regulator NAO 31,000 34,000 49,000 
			 Personal Accounts Delivery Authority NAO (4)8,000 66,000 67,000 
			 Pension Protection Fund NAO 125,000 153,000 160,000 
			 Remploy Deloitte LLP 140,000 170,000 180,000 
			 (1) Fees charged to DWP by NAO are made on a notional basis, i.e. they are recorded as expenditure and a cost to the Department but no physical cash payments are made to NAO. (2) Prior to the establishment of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, audit fees for the former Child Support Agency were included within the audit fees for the Department. Figures stated represent audit costs for both the Administration and Client Funds Accounts. (3) Includes £5,000 in relation to 2008-09. (4) PADA achieved grant in aid status from March 2008. The audit fee quoted for 2007-08 therefore includes fees for March 2008 only. Audit services carried out in 2008-09 and 2009-10 included additional work to provide assurance in respect of the transition and implementation of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS)  Notes: 1. Both CMEC and HSE are Crown NDPBs and are therefore deemed to be part of the Department for accounting purposes. 2. PPF is a public corporation. 3. Remploy has status as both an NDPB and public corporation. 4. All other sponsored bodies are classified as NDPBs. 5. NAO fees have been included on the basis that, although classed as a part of the public sector, they are external to the body in question.

Departmental Regulation

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on how many occasions his Department has consulted representatives of small businesses on the effects of proposed new regulations since 6 May 2010.

Chris Grayling: There is a significant amount of formal and informal consultation and engagement between the Department for Work and Pensions and small business representatives. Information on specific contacts is not co-ordinated centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost, but I can confirm that we have regular dialogue at ministerial and senior official level with individuals, businesses and umbrella organisations including the Federation of Small Businesses, as well as larger organisations including the CBI and BCC.
	During any consultation, we encourage all relevant groups and individuals to participate. During the period in question, the Department has launched the following formal consultation exercises on proposed new legislation that we would expect to be of relevance to small businesses:
	The Occupational and Personal Pension Schemes (Miscellaneous Amendment) Regulations 2011
	The consultation on the impact of using CPI for private sector occupational pension schemes
	The Draft Pension Protection Fund (Pension Compensation Sharing on Divorce etc.) Regulations 2010
	The Draft Pension Protection Fund (Pensions on Divorce etc.: Charges) Regulations 2010
	The Draft Financial Assistance Scheme and Pension Protection Fund (Valuation, Revaluation and Indexation Amendments) Regulations 2011
	The Pension Protection Fund (Prescribed Payments and Investment Costs) Regulations 2011
	Phasing out the default retirement age in 2010 (joint consultation between the Department for Business Innovation and Skills and the Department for Work and Pensions)
	Abolition of contracting out on a defined contribution basis
	The Application of Pension Legislation to the National Employment Savings Trust Corporation Regulations 2011
	In addition, we have informally consulted representatives of small businesses on a range of measures addressed in the Making Automatic Enrolment Work review-'Regulatory differences between occupational and workplace personal pensions'.

Higher Marginal Deduction Rates

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households liable for higher marginal deduction rates he estimates will fall into each £10,000 income band.

Chris Grayling: Universal credit will improve the incentives to increase hours of work. At present some 0.7 million households in low paid work lose 80% or more of any increase in earnings. Under universal credit, virtually no households will have deduction rates above 76%.
	However, there will be individuals with higher marginal deduction rates under universal credit compared to the current system. In some cases this will be a result of higher entitlements under universal credit than under the current system.
	The following table shows the numbers who see a higher and lower marginal deduction rate under universal credit compared to the current system, and the median change, split by income bands above £10,000.
	
		
			  Estimated number of households with higher or lower marginal deduction rates under universal credit compared to the current system 
			  Income band  Higher MDR (million)  Median increase ( percentage  points)  Lower MDR (million)  Median decrease ( percentage  points) 
			 £10,000-£20,000 0.5 4 0.5 21 
			 £20,000-£30,000 1.1 4 0.5 14 
			 £30,000-£40,000 0.3 4 0.2 22 
			 Over £40,000 (1)- 4 (1)- 24 
			 All 1.9 4 1.3 20 
			 (1) Rounds to less than 50,000.  Notes: 1. Case loads rounded to the nearest 100,000. 2. Figures may not sum due to rounding.  Source: DWP Policy Simulation Model (based on 2008-09 Family Resources Survey). 
		
	
	In all bands, the median decrease is larger than the median increase, reflecting the impact that universal credit has on the highest marginal deduction rates.

Social Security Benefits

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to his Department's impact assessment on the proposed benefit cap, what assessment he has made of the effect of his proposed policy on levels of child poverty.

Maria Miller: The benefit cap will restrict the total amount of welfare a household can receive to broadly the level of the average earned income after tax for working households. By doing this the policy will deliver fiscal savings, improve work incentives for those on benefits and sit alongside the other measures announced in the spending review to make the system fair and affordable.
	Any measurement of the effect on child poverty, is limited by the variable of individual behavioural response to the policy. Impact on child poverty will be mitigated if adults in the families affected move into work. We are putting in place the Work programme, the biggest single welfare-to-work programme this country has ever seen, which will give unemployed people unprecedented levels of personal support to get them into the workplace. The benefit cap supports our plans to make work pay as when someone in a household enters work and begins to receive working tax credit they will be exempt from the new measure.
	We are looking at ways of easing the transition for families and providing assistance for vulnerable families.

Welfare State: Reform

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to his Department's impact assessment on conditionality measures in the Welfare Reform Bill, what estimate he has made of (a) the number of lone parents who will enter work in each year to 2015-16 and  (b) the average number of hours a lone parent will work in each such year.

Maria Miller: The information is as follows:
	 (a) The June 2010 Budget announced the requirement for lone parents to prepare for and seek work as a condition of receiving benefits would be extended from those with a youngest child aged seven or over, to those with a youngest child aged five or over. We estimated in the recent impact assessment, "Conditionality Measures in the 2011 Welfare Reform Bill" that the change will help 20,000 to 25,000 extra lone parents into work in steady state-with around an extra 10,000 lone parents in work after the first full year; around an extra 20,000 after the second year; and up to 25,000 in steady state.
	 (b) There are a number of flexibilities for lone parents regarding job search requirements that can reflect different personal circumstances affecting availability for work. For example, lone parents may limit the hours they are available for work to a minimum of 16 hours a week subject to their childcare arrangements. They may also restrict their availability for work to their children's normal school hours if any of their children are aged 12 or under.
	We expect that lone parents will base their working pattern around their personal circumstances and child care arrangements. For this impact assessment, we assumed that the majority of lone parents entering work as a result of the policy change will enter work at part-time around an average of 18 hours a week; with less than a third of lone parents entering work at full-time around an average of 38 hours a week. This assumption was made based on evidence from the Household Annual Population Survey.
	Universal credit from 2013-14 will carry forward the same conditionality arrangements for lone parents. The above does not take account of behavioural effects arising from other aspects of universal credit, for example from the operation of the disregard and taper.

Winter Fuel Payments

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of implementing a change to winter fuel allowances to cease making payments to British citizens living abroad.

Steve Webb: European Union law means that some benefits acquired in one member state must be paid to people when they move to another country within the European economic area.
	Winter fuel payments are only paid to former UK residents living in the European economic area or Switzerland if they qualified for a payment before leaving the UK.
	In winter 2009-10 we made around 70,000 payments at a cost of around £15 million to people living outside the UK and in the EEA. This is less than 1% of the total annual expenditure on winter fuel payments.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Members: Correspondence

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Torbay of 6 December 2010 on work placement pay;
	(2)  when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Torbay of 18 August 2010 on behalf of his constituent Mr Russell James on reform of the public sector;
	(3)  when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Torbay of 22 July 2010 on behalf of his constituent Mr Keith Richardson on intrusive and unnecessary laws;
	(4)  when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Torbay of 15 June 2010 on behalf of his constituent Mr Christopher Bunker on intrusive and unnecessary laws;
	(5)  when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Torbay of 15 June 2010 on behalf of his constituent Jenny Hall on the Protection of Freedoms Bill;
	(6)  when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Torbay of 16 July 2010 on behalf of his constituent Mr David Love on the statutory requirement for schools to hold acts of daily collective worship.

Nicholas Clegg: I answered my hon. Friend's correspondence today.

TRANSPORT

Shipping: Oil

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress his Department has made on its consultation on ship-to-ship oil transfers.

Michael Penning: I am considering the representations which have been made and shall take a decision at the earliest opportunity.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Devolution: Northern Ireland

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 14 March 2011,  Official Report, column 111W, on devolution: Northern Ireland, for what reason no meetings have taken place.

Gregory Barker: holding answer 31 March 2011
	 Meetings have not taken place between the special advisers of the Secretary of State and representatives of the Northern Ireland Executive and other organisations in Northern Ireland as there have been no meeting requests. Officials of the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) have regular dialogue with the Northern Ireland Executive and other Northern Irish bodies, including meetings that were attended by DECC's board-level devolution champion in Belfast on 10 and 11 March 2011 on a wide range of energy and climate change matters. Northern Ireland Executive officials also sit on several DECC steering groups.

Energy: Housing

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions his Department had had with energy companies on their role in informing consumers about the Green Deal.

Gregory Barker: The Department has been working closely with energy companies, developing their role to collect Green Deal payments from customers and exploring the potential opportunities for them as Green Deal providers. We are also working on an agreement with the larger energy companies for them to provide promotional material about the Green Deal to their customers at key trigger points, for example when moving into a new property or switching energy supplier.

Nuclear Power Stations

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what information his Department holds on the number of third generation nuclear reactors that are in operation around the world.

Charles Hendry: The Department of Energy and Climate Change does not hold specific information on the number of third generation nuclear plants in operation around the world.
	A number of other organisations such as the International Atomic Energy Agency and the World Nuclear Association maintain lists of such information that is easily accessed on the internet:
	www.iaea.org
	and
	www.world-nuclear.org

Nuclear Power Stations

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he has assessed the suitability of boiling water nuclear reactors for deployment in the UK.

Charles Hendry: The safety, security and environmental aspects of nuclear reactor designs proposed for deployment in the UK are assessed by the UK's nuclear regulators as part of their site licensing and permitting processes.
	Regulators have recently assessed a number of reactor designs as part of their generic design assessment (GDA) process. One design, the GE-Hitachi ESBWR is an evolution of earlier boiling water reactors. Assessment of the economic simplified boiling water reactor (ESBWR) within the GDA process ceased in September 2008 when GE-Hitachi requested a temporary suspension of work.
	No boiling water reactor designs are currently being assessed for the UK.
	Information on the regulators assessment findings, including interim technical reports and quarterly updates can be found on their website:
	www.hse.gov.uk/newreactors
	The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change has asked UK Chief Nuclear Inspector, Dr Mike Weightman, to provide an independent report to the Government on the implications of the unprecedented events in Japan and the lessons to be learned for the UK nuclear industry.
	He has asked for an interim report by mid-May 2011 and a final report within six months. The reports will be published in the public domain.

Nuclear Power Stations

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of boiling water nuclear reactor designs.

Charles Hendry: The safety, security and environmental aspects of nuclear reactor designs proposed for deployment in the UK are assessed by the UK's nuclear regulators as part of their site licensing and permitting processes.
	Regulators have recently assessed a number of reactor designs as part of their generic design assessment process (GDA). One design, the GE-Hitachi economic simplified boiling water reactor (ESBWR) is an evolution of earlier boiling water reactors. Assessment of the ESBWR within the GDA ceased in September 2008 when GE-Hitachi requested a temporary suspension of work.
	Information on the regulators assessment findings, including interim technical reports and quarterly updates can be found on their website:
	www.hse.gov.uk/newreactors
	The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change has asked UK Chief Nuclear Inspector, Dr Mike Weightman, to provide an independent report to the Government on the implications of the unprecedented events in Japan and the lessons to be learned for the UK nuclear industry.
	He has asked for an interim report by mid-May 2011 and a final report within six months. The reports will be published in the public domain.

Nuclear Power Stations: Safety

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the implications of the situation in Japan for his energy policy.

Charles Hendry: The International Atomic Energy Agency integrated regulatory review service-IRRS-recently noted that the UK has a mature and transparent regulatory system, an advanced review process, and highly trained, expert and experienced nuclear inspectors. Nevertheless, we take the recent unprecedented events in Japan extremely seriously, and the Secretary of State has asked the chief nuclear inspector, Dr Mike Weightman, to provide a report to the Government on the implications and the lessons to be learned for the UK nuclear industry.
	The coalition Government's plans clearly envisage an important role for nuclear and unless Dr Weightman's report gives us any particular reason to reassess that, I see no reason why that should not remain our view. We aim to bring the first new nuclear on stream for 2018. When people visit the departmental website, they can access a pathways model called "My2050", which allows them to see the effort that would have to be made if we did not have nuclear. We would have to make enormously greater efforts on both renewables and carbon capture and storage. That is physically possible, but the costs would be very substantial.

Nuclear Power Stations: Safety

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of inherent passive safety systems in nuclear reactor design.

Charles Hendry: The safety, security and environmental aspects of nuclear reactor designs proposed for deployment in the UK are assessed by the UK's nuclear regulators as part of their site licensing and permitting processes.
	Regulators have recently assessed a number of reactor designs as part of their Generic Design Assessment (GDA) process. A number of these designs incorporate either full or partial passive safety systems. Which are assessed against publicised safety principles within the GDA process.
	Information on the regulators assessment findings, including interim technical reports and quarterly updates can be found on their website
	www.hse.gov.uk/newreactors
	The Secretary of State has asked UK Chief Nuclear Inspector Dr Mike Weightman to provide an independent report to the Government on the implications of the unprecedented events in Japan and the lessons to be learned for the UK nuclear industry.
	He has asked for an interim report by mid-May 2011 and a final report within six months. The reports will be published in the public domain.

Nuclear Power Stations: Safety

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of core damage frequency for the  (a) GE Hitachi (i) Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor and (ii) Advanced Boiling Water Reactor,  (b) Westinghouse AP1000 and  (c) Areva European Pressurised Reactor; and what assessment he has made of the implications of those figures for reactor safety.

Charles Hendry: The safety, security and environmental aspects of nuclear reactor designs proposed for deployment in the UK are assessed by the UK's nuclear regulators as part of their site licensing and permitting processes.
	Regulators have recently assessed a number of reactor designs as part of their generic design assessment (GDA) process. This assessment has included an appraisal of the calculated core damage frequencies on the Westinghouse API000 and AREVA EPR. The GE-Hitachi ESBWR voluntarily suspended assessment in September 2008 and the ABWR was not put forward to the GDA process, as such no core damage frequency assessment has been undertaken by regulators on these two reactors.
	Information on the regulators assessment findings, including interim technical reports and quarterly updates can be found on their website:
	www.hse.gov.uk/newreactors
	The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change has asked UK Chief Nuclear Inspector, Dr Mike Weightman, to provide an independent report to the Government on the implications of the unprecedented events in Japan and the lessons to be learned for the UK nuclear industry.
	He has asked for an interim report by mid-May 2011 and a final report within six months. The reports will be published in the public domain.

Solar Power: Feed-in Tariffs

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when his Department published the trigger for the fast-track solar photovoltaic feed-in tariff review; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: At the time of the spending review in 2010 we said that the first review of the feed-in tariffs (FITs) scheme would take place as planned in 2012, taking effect in April 2013, unless higher than expected deployment triggered an early review. Since then feedback from industry has indicated that solar PV system costs are now 30% lower than assumed in the original modelling undertaken before the start of the scheme and that there would be higher than expected deployment of larger scale solar PV. This has resulted in the risk that the FITs budget would be exceeded and triggers an early review.
	The decision to begin a comprehensive review early allows us to deal with issues such as the fast falling cost of solar PV; enabling us to safeguard FITs funding for small scale installations for domestic customers, schools, community groups and small businesses.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Politics and Government

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his European counterparts on the political situation in Bosnia and Hercegovina.

David Lidington: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has raised his concerns about the political situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina in several recent bilateral meetings with European counterparts, and at both the February and March Foreign Affairs Councils.
	The Secretary of State has made clear his strong concerns about the current negative political atmosphere and has highlighted the need for rapid progress on government formation and on implementation of key EU-related reforms.

European Court of Human Rights

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 16 March 2011,  Official Report, column 367W, on the European Court of Human Rights, whether the UK's representative at the High Level Conference will address the conference; and if he will place in the Library a copy of representations the Government has made to the Council of Europe on reform of the European Court of Human Rights since May 2010.

David Lidington: The UK will be represented by the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Rushcliffe (Mr Clarke), who will address the meeting. The Government have participated actively in a number of discussions within the Council of Europe on the reform of the European Court of Human Rights since May 2010. This has not involved the submission of formal written representations on this issue.

Latvia: Anti-Semitism

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on levels of anti-Semitism in Latvia since July 2010; what discussions he has had with the government of Latvia about anti-Semitism in Latvia since that date; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: We have not received any reports of anti-Semitism in Latvia since July 2010, nor have we engaged the Latvian Government on the issue during this period.

Libya: Aviation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his Department's policy is on charging  (a) British and  (b) non-British nationals who used recent flights chartered by his Department from Libya.

Alistair Burt: The Department's policy is not to charge either British or non-British nationals using flights chartered by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office from Libya. In an evacuation, the Government cover the cost of transport out of the affected country if there are no commercial means available.

Security: EU Action

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contribution he plans to make to the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers' informal meeting of the Drafting Group of the Istanbul Declaration on 7 April 2011; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the representations the Government has made on this declaration.

David Lidington: The UK will contribute fully to ensure that the draft declaration reflects our vision of the Council of Europe as an organisation focussed on the protection and promotion of human rights, democracy and the rule of law.
	I will place in the Library a copy of the UK's statement in Istanbul when it is available.

USA: Cotton

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 18 March 2011,  Official Report, column 694W, on the USA: cotton, what the US ambassador's response was to Lord Brittan's representations; what steps he plans to take in respect of US cotton subsidies as a result of that response; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen O'Brien: I have been asked to reply.
	The US ambassador responded that there were opponents to cotton reform in the Senate and that what could be agreed would depend on the overall Doha Development Agenda (DDA). We will continue to press the US bilaterally on this issue. It remains clear that a successful conclusion of the DDA will be the best route for reform of cotton subsidies.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Departmental Public Bodies

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what  (a) costs and  (b) savings he expects to result from the abolition of the (i) UK Film Council and (ii) Museum, Libraries and Archives Council.

Jeremy Hunt: holding answer 24 March 2011
	 The costs and benefits arising from the reforms to the UK Film Council and Museums, Libraries and Archives Council are subject to ongoing analysis and while we expect they will generate administrative savings, no figures can be provided at this stage.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Sudan: Overseas Aid

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much of the £140 million bilateral aid allocated for Sudan in the Bilateral Aid review will be apportioned between north and south Sudan.

Andrew Mitchell: The focus of the Bilateral Aid Review is on achieving results to transform the lives of poor people. As poverty indicators are generally worse in the south of Sudan, approximately 65% of our funding (around £90 million) will be focused there. Over the next four years key results we intend to achieve include 240,000 more children completing primary school (20% more than today), 1 million more people achieving food security, and over 750,000 people benefiting from treatment or prevention of malaria.
	Approximately 35% of our funding (around £50 million) will be focused on the north of Sudan. Results we aim to deliver there include clean drinking water or sanitation for 800,000 people, access to justice for 250,000 people, and life-saving health and nutrition support to up to 4 million people in areas of humanitarian need, notably in Darfur.

TREASURY

EU Economic and Financial Affairs Council Meeting

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what agreements were made on climate finance at the EU Economic and Financial Affairs Council meeting on 15 March 2011.

Justine Greening: The EU Economic and Financial Affairs Council of 14-15 March 2011 adopted Council Conclusions on climate finance.
	The conclusions welcomed the outcome of the international negotiations in Cancun, including the decision to establish a Green Climate Fund; reaffirmed climate finance commitments made by EU member states to provide €7.2 billion cumulatively over the period 2010-12 to fast start finance and to report on its climate finance contributions.
	The full text of the conclusions can be found at:
	http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/ecofin/119891_pdf

Fuel Duty: Public Expenditure

Matthew Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to Table 2.1 on page 42 of Budget 2011, what the estimated cost to the Exchequer is of  (a) the reduction of fuel duty by one penny per litre from 23 March 2011,  (b) the removal of previously announced above retail prices index increases in fuel duty and  (c) the delay of retail prices index increases in each year between 2011-12 and 2015-16.

Justine Greening: The 1p per litre fuel duty reduction, the removal of the previous Administration's fuel duty escalator and the delay of RPI increases are costed in table 2.1 of Budget 2011 at: -£1,900 million in 2011-12; -£1,600 million in 2012-13; -£1,700 million in 2013-14; -£2,100 million in 2014-15.

Oil: Prices

John Thurso: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is on requirements for oil, gas and mining companies based in the UK to disclose payments made in other countries in which they operate.

Justine Greening: holding answer 31 March 2011
	As the Chancellor made clear at the G20 Finance Minister's meeting in February 2011, the Government support the development of new international rules to require oil, gas and mining companies to report the payments they make to Governments. The UK will be seeking to make progress on this issue both in the G20 and at the EU.

Taxation

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what recent representations he has received on proposals for  (a) a financial activities tax and  (b) a financial transactions tax;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with his  (a) French and  (b) German counterpart on the prospects for (i) a financial activities tax and (ii) a financial transactions tax;
	(3)  whether he has tasked a team in his Department with investigating the feasibility of a financial activities tax.

Justine Greening: As set out in the June 2010 Budget, the Government are exploring the costs and benefits of a financial activities tax with international partners and is continuing to monitor developments in this area. There have been discussions at ECOFIN about financial activities taxes and financial transactions taxes. The European Commission issued a communication on taxation of the financial sector in October 2010, and is currently running a consultation exercise as part of its impact assessment work, which it is due to publish later this year. In addition, the Government of France holds the presidency of the G20 for 2011, and has stated that it will bring forward discussions on financial transactions taxes.
	The Government have received representations on various aspects of financial sector taxation from a wide range of interested parties. In August 2010, the Government issued a statement on financial taxation, available at:
	http://hm-treasury.gov.uk/robin_hood_tax.htm

Telephone Services

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what the opening hours of the Debt Management Telephone Centre unit of HM Revenue and Customs will be on  (a) Friday 22 April,  (b) Sunday 24 April and  (c) Monday 25 April 2011;
	(2)  whether staff of the Debt Management Telephone Centre unit of HM Revenue and Customs will be  (a) making outbound calls to collect debts and  (b) taking incoming calls during its hours of operation on (i) Friday 22 April, (ii) Sunday 24 April and (iii) Monday 25 April 2011.

Justine Greening: HMRC's Debt Management and Telephone Centre will be closed on Friday 22 April, open on Sunday 24 April from 8 am to 4 pm and closed on Monday 25 April 2011.
	Staff contracted to work on Sunday 24 April will be handling inbound calls as a priority, with some opportunity for outbound calls to those who have failed to respond to HMRC's written demands for payment.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Business: Regulation

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills from which domestic regulations he proposes to exempt micro-businesses and start-ups in the next three years as a result of the moratorium introduced in the 2011 Budget.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 28 March 2011
	All micro and start-up businesses will be exempted from new domestic regulation in the three-year moratorium from 1 April 2011, apart from in exceptional instances where there is a compelling argument against exemption. A decision has been made that the abolition of default retirement age will continue as planned for all businesses. Any breach of the moratorium will require the consent of both the Reducing Regulation Cabinet Committee, chaired by the Secretary of State, and the Economic Affairs Committee, chaired by the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Enterprise Zones

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on what date his Department informed  (a) local authorities and  (b) local enterprise partnerships of the criteria for the establishment of enterprise zones.

Mark Prisk: The Secretaries of State for Business, Innovation and Skills; and for Communities and Local Government wrote to local enterprise partnerships on 24 March 2011 with regard to the Budget announcement on enterprise zones. The prospectus that accompanied their letter-and which is available on the DCLG website at:
	www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/enterprisezone
	-explained the bidding process that will be put in place to identify a second wave of enterprise zones.
	Local enterprise partnerships interested in bidding for an enterprise zone are being asked to submit short expressions of interest during April. Once those expressions of interest have been received, the Government will write to all interested local enterprise partnerships with the criteria against which detailed bids will be assessed. Final bids will be expected by the end of June. Those local authorities and businesses not currently covered by a local enterprise partnership will be able to bid to host an enterprise zone if their proposals to form a local enterprise partnership are approved before the deadline for bids. The prospectus already provides partnerships with an indication of the sorts of issues that they will want to consider in compiling a bid.

Enterprise Zones: Finance

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding he plans to allocate to enterprise zones in  (a) 2011-12,  (b) 2012-13,  (c) 2013-14 and  (d) 2014-15.

Mark Prisk: At the Budget, the Government announced that businesses in enterprise zones would receive business rate discounts of up to 100% for five years. These discounts are subject to European Union state aid rules and are worth up to £275,000 over a five-year period for each business. The Government estimate the overall cost of this tax support to be approximately £125 million over the spending review period.

Regional Growth Fund

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the monetary value was of bids submitted to the first round of the Regional Growth Fund in each (a) Government office region and  (b) local enterprise partnership.

Mark Prisk: 464 bids to the value of £2.78 billion have been received in round 1 of regional growth fund (RGF). The following tables gives details on the monetary value of bids submitted by each Government region and Local Enterprise Partnership area.
	
		
			  Region  £ million 
			 East Midlands 241 
			 East of England 132 
			 London 270 
			 North East 338 
			 North West 577 
			 South East 186 
			 South West 176 
			 West Midlands 459 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 402 
		
	
	
		
			  LEP area  £  mi llion 
			 Birmingham and Solihull with East Staffordshire, Lichfield and Tamworth LEP 152 
			 Brighton and Hove, Croydon, the Gatwick Diamond and West Sussex-Coast to Capital LEP 14 
			 Cheshire and Warrington LEP 94 
			 Coventry and Warwickshire LEP 139 
			 Cumbria LEP 40 
			 Empowering Enterprise-Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly LEP 57 
			 Greater Cambridge and Greater Peterborough LEP 24 
			 Greater Manchester LEP 185 
			 Hertfordshire LEP (1)- 
			 Kent-Essex LEP 128 
			 Leeds City Region LEP 154 
			 Leicester and Leicestershire LEP 34 
			 Lincolnshire LEP 24 
			 Liverpool City Region LEP 198 
			 New Anglia LEP 42 
			 North Eastern LE 203 
			 Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Derby, Derbyshire LEP 112 
			 Oxfordshire City Region LEP (1)- 
			 Sheffield City Region LEP 223 
			 Solent LEP 47 
			 South East Midlands LEP 108 
			 Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire LEP 55 
			 Tees Valley LEP 136 
			 Thames Valley Berkshire LEP (1)- 
			 The Black Country LEP 32 
			 The Marches Enterprise Partnership-Shropshire and Herefordshire LEP 44 
			 West of England LEP 39 
			 Worcestershire LEP 42 
			 (1) Amount redacted as it may risk disclosure of applicants.  Note: Bids have been allocated to LEPs by their location in response to Q2 of the application and should not be taken as an indication that the LEP has endorsed the bid.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Children in Care: Missing Persons

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on the number of children  (a) in total and  (b) who had been trafficked who went missing from local government care in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Andrew Stunell: Ministers within the Department for Communities and Local Government regularly meet colleagues from the Home Office and Department for Education to discuss a range of matters. Policies on trafficking, children who go missing and children in care mainly fall under the responsibility of the Home Office and Department for Education.
	We are working closely with them on related policies such as the young runaways project and homelessness. For example, the Home Office and Department for Education are represented on the cross-Government Ministerial Working Group on Homelessness. In addition, the Department for Communities and Local Government is represented on the senior officials group overseeing cross-government work on missing persons.

Fire Services

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) whole-time firefighter,  (b) retained firefighter,  (c) fire control room and  (d) total posts there were in each Fire and Rescue Service in England on 1 April 2010; and how many posts in each category there were on 1 April 2011.

Bob Neill: The numbers of posts on 31 March 2010 in each Fire and Rescue Service in England are shown in the following table. Figures for 31 March 2011 are due to be submitted over the coming months and to be published in August.
	
		
			  Fire and rescue service posts in England at 31 March 2010( 1) 
			  Fire and rescue authorities  Whole - time  Retained duty system( 2,3)  Fire control  Total (including support staff) 
			 England 30,053 13,712 1,475 54,308 
			  
			 Avon 684 216 33 1,078 
			 Bedfordshire(4) 305 128 27 594 
			 Berkshire 418 156 34 753 
			 Buckinghamshire 357 238 23 749 
			 Cambridgeshire(4) 271 379 35 845 
			 Cheshire 529 387 26 1,198 
			 Cleveland 522 69 33 753 
			 Cornwall 206 425 15 740 
			 Cumbria 255 480 21 855 
			 Derbyshire 460 360 26 1,009 
			 Devon and Somerset 719 1,207 45 2,220 
			 Dorset 295 356 21 801 
			 Durham 388 168 26 683 
			 East Sussex 427 259 26 873 
			 Essex 967 450 43 1,710 
			 Gloucestershire 212 306 20 621 
			 Greater London 5,866 0 118 7,104 
			 Greater Manchester 1,888 42 69 2,555 
			 Hampshire 774 676 38 1,806 
			 Hereford and Worcester 329 369 25 865 
			 Hertfordshire 569 264 29 1,014 
			 Humberside 631 376 28 1,234 
			 Isle of Wight 76 136 13 248 
			 Isles of Scilly 11 39 0 51 
			 Kent 879 716 42 1,914 
			 Lancashire 878 318 45 1,532 
			 Leicestershire 486 193 41 879 
			 Lincolnshire 239 495 32 864 
			 Merseyside 947 67 42 1,465 
			 Norfolk 305 530 27 993 
			 North Yorkshire 325 392 25 834 
			 Northamptonshire 288 279 26 695 
			 Northumberland 202 155 18 451 
			 Nottinghamshire 569 252 31 1,038 
			 Oxfordshire 246 328 22 655 
			 Shropshire 223 343 17 664 
			 South Yorkshire 831 121 42 1,269 
			 Staffordshire 461 454 33 1,120 
			 Suffolk(4) 249 504 24 857 
			 Surrey 626 144 25 895 
			 Tyne and Wear 885 24 38 1,243 
			 Warwickshire 269 123 20 490 
			 West Midlands 1,898 0 46 2,444 
			 West Sussex 394 310 32 861 
			 West Yorkshire 1,467 177 53 2,127 
			 Wiltshire 228 303 22 659 
			 (1) In full time equivalents (FTEs) except retained duty system firefighters in 24 hour units of cover. (2) In 24-hour units of cover. (3) No retained duty system firefighters are recruited in London and West Midlands. (4) Estimates.  Source: Annual Returns to DCLG

Local Government Finance

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment his Department has made of the likely effect on formula grant funding to each local authority of allowing such authorities to retain the receipts from business rates.

Bob Neill: As part of the Local Government Resource Review's consideration of options for allowing local authorities to retain business rates, we will be assessing the impact of a range of issues, including the potential impact on local authorities' funding. In due course, we will publish the conclusions of the review. The terms of the review are clear that any change must protect the interests of local taxpayers and the vulnerable, be fair for all councils, and encourage growth. Councils which are more deprived will continue to receive central Government support.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether bullet-proof vests are available to all UK combat troops in Afghanistan.

Nick Harvey: The Ministry of Defence issues troops with personal protective equipment which provides degrees of ballistic protection against a range of threats. All UK troops deploying to Afghanistan are issued with enhanced combat body armour as a minimum. Mk 4 Osprey body armour is available to all troops whose role requires it.

Air Force: Redundancy

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent estimate he has made of the likely number of Royal Air Force personnel to be made redundant at Royal Air Force Valley as part of the programme announced on 1 March 2011.

Andrew Robathan: Between 1 March and 14 April 2011 RAF personnel within certain trades and branches are invited to apply for redundancy following the announcement of the RAF Redundancy Programme Tranche One. All personnel selected for redundancy will be informed of the decision on 1 September 2011.
	Consequently, it is too soon to make an assessment on the number of likely redundancies at a particular location within the RAF.

Defence: International Cooperation

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether training for the France-UK bi-national rapid reaction force has begun; and if he will make a statement.

Gerald Howarth: We confirmed at last year's bilateral Summit that we would develop a Combined Joint Expeditionary Force with France. It will foster closer links between our armed forces, and improve their ability to deploy together on operations in the future. It will not involve standing forces.
	There are a number of bilateral exercises scheduled to take place with French armed forces this year, aimed at increasing the levels of interoperability between our armed forces.

Departmental Theft

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 24 March 2011,  Official Report, column 1227W, on departmental theft, what the policy of his Department is on monitoring  (a) (i) eBay, (ii) Amazon and (iii) other online trading sites and  (b) (i) Loot and (ii) other classified advertising publications in order to recover stolen property.

Gerald Howarth: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) police uses proactive intelligence led initiatives to identify and detect thefts of MOD property, and those involved in the unlawful disposal of stolen Defence property, by monitoring internet trading sites and other markets, and then taking appropriate law enforcement action. This approach has proved successful in tracking potential stolen MOD property and those who seek to dispose of it, with arrests, convictions and property recovery.

European Defence Agency

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions  (a) he,  (b) his Ministers and  (c) his officials have had with their French counterparts on the future of the European Defence Agency since May 2010.

Gerald Howarth: Defence Ministers and officials routinely discuss matters concerning the future of the European Defence Agency both multilaterally and bilaterally with our French counterparts.

European Defence Agency

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the Government's policy is on the European Defence Agency; and if he will make a statement.

Gerald Howarth: I refer the right hon. Member to the answers I gave on 11 February 2011,  Official Report, column 453W, to the hon. Member for St Austell and Newquay (Stephen Gilbert) and on 13 December 2010,  Official Report, column 659, to the Second Church Estates Commissioner, the hon. Member for Banbury (Tony Baldry).

Foreign Relations

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what dates  (a) he,  (b) his Ministers and  (c) his officials have met their French counterparts since May 2010.

Gerald Howarth: The information is as follows:
	The Secretary of State for Defence (Dr Fox) met the French Defence Minister on: 10 June 2010; 18 June 2010; 3 September 2010; 14 October 2010; 2 November 2010; 20 November 2010; 12 January 2011; and 10 March 2011.
	The Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology (Peter Luff) met his French counterpart on: 17 June 2010; 19 July 2010; 18 October 2010 and 16 March 2010.
	The Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans (Mr Robathan) met his French counterpart on 18 June 2010.
	I met the French Defence Minister at the EU Defence Ministers' meetings on 9 December 2010 and 24 February 2011.
	Other members of the Ministry of Defence routinely meet with representatives of the French Ministry of Defence. This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

CABINET OFFICE

Average Earnings: Statistics

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  if he will request the Office for National Statistics to facilitate public access to the underlying data from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings provided to the Department for Communities and Local Government as the basis for the area cost adjustment calculations in West Sussex, redacting personal data where necessary to assist disclosure;
	(2)  by what procedure an individual may become an approved researcher to access the data underlying the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings prepared by the Office for National Statistics; and how many applications for such status have been  (a) approved and  (b) rejected in the last 24 months.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated March 2011:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions asking:
	1: to facilitate public access to the underlying data from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings provided to the Department for Communities and Local Government as the basis for the area cost adjustment calculations in West Sussex redacting personal data where necessary to assist disclosure (50645) and
	2: by what procedure an individual may become an approved researcher to access the data underlying the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings prepared by the Office for National Statistics; and how many applications for such statistics have been (a) approved and (b) rejected in the last 24 months. (50646)
	Answer to question one
	Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) data are collected under the Statistics of Trade Act, 1947. Section 9 of this Act states that unless consent has been obtained, data collected under the Act that may identify an individual unit may only be made available to Government Departments in possession of a 'direction from the Minister'. The legislation states that the data may be released to the Government Department for the performance of any of its functions. Under this Act, those Government Departments without a 'ministerial direction' are not allowed access.
	The Statistics and Registration Service Act, 2007, allows for increased sharing of data between ONS and other Government Departments, subject to agreement by Parliament on a case by case basis. The Act ensures that ONS can still use the existing gateways for access to ASHE microdata. It also promotes further statistical research by the addition of an additional gateway - Approved Researcher.
	The Approved Researcher is the only gateway available for those without a ministerial direction to access ASHE microdata. Approved Researcher status is for named individuals only and applies to a specific project. It does not open a gateway to all data for any purpose. Currently Approved Researchers can only gain access to ASHE data at ONS sites. This is likely to be extended in the near future so that Approved Researchers can access ASHE from a Secure Data Centre, at university buildings via secure computer terminals.
	The production of a redacted version of the data would render them unsuitable for the purposes stated. Given the nature of the information provided under trust to ONS, it would be necessary to use a coarse recoding methodology to prevent the identification, or self-identification, of an individual from a public use data set. The methodology employed in the area cost adjustment calculations requires detailed individual record information that would be lost as a consequence of the recoding required to prevent disclosure.
	Answer to question two
	The Statistics and Registration Service Act requires that the criteria for becoming an Approved Researcher are published. The criteria and assessment procedure can be found on the 'Access to Data' pages of the Office for National Statistics website:
	www.ons.gov.uk/about/who-we-are/our-services/unpublished-data/access-to-ons-data-service/index.html
	Only the information in the application is used for the decision to make an applicant an Approved Researcher, although for less experienced applicants a reference may be sought from their PhD supervisor. Any individual can become an Approved Researcher provided they meet both the criteria for personal competence to use confidential data securely, and the criteria for statistical research purposes.
	In the last 24 months 32 statistical researchers have met the criteria and have been made Approved Researchers for access to the confidential Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings dataset. The researchers are working on 19 statistical research inquiries. All of these statistical researchers have used the ASHE dataset within a statistical research laboratory facility on an ONS site. No statistical researcher that has submitted an application has been rejected.

Cancer: Death

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many patients died from cancer in  (a) Bolton South East constituency and  (b) Bolton borough in the last five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated March 2011:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many patients died from cancer in (a) Bolton South East constituency and (b) Bolton borough in the last five years. (50550)
	The following tables provide the number of deaths where the underlying cause was cancer in (a) Bolton South East parliamentary constituency (Table 1) and (b) Bolton metropolitan district (Table 2), for the years 2005 to 2009 (the latest year available).
	It is not possible from the information given at death registration to state whether the deceased was a patient at the time of death.
	
		
			  Table 1. Number of deaths where the underlying cause was cancer, Bolton South East parliamentary constituency, 2005-09( 1, 2, 3) 
			   Deaths (persons) 
			 2005 262 
			 2006 244 
			 2007 248 
			 2008 254 
			 2009 218 
			 (1 )Cause of death was defined using the international Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes C00-C97. (2) Based on boundaries as of 2011. (3) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2. Number of deaths where the underlying cause was cancer, Bolton metropolitan district, 2005-09( 1, 2, 3) 
			   Deaths (persons) 
			 2005 704 
			 2006 661 
			 2007 672 
			 2008 612 
			 2009 621 
			 (1) Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes C00-C97. (2) Based on boundaries as of 2011. (3) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year.

Deaths: Alcoholic Drinks and Drugs

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many deaths in the Pendle area were (a) alcohol and  (b) drug-related in each of the last five years; and how many of those who died were aged (i) under 18, (ii) 18 to 24, (iii) 25 to 40 and (iv) over 40 years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated March 2001:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent questions asking how many deaths in the Pendle area were (a) alcohol and (b) drug related in each of the last five years; and how many of those who died were aged (i) under 18, (ii) 18 to 24, (iii) 25 to 40 and (iv) over 40 years. (50964)
	The following tables provide the number of deaths where the underlying cause was (a) alcohol-related (Table 1) and (b) drug poisoning (Table 2), for persons aged (i) under 18, (ii) 18 to 24, (iii) 25 to 40 and (iv) over 40 years, in Pendle local authority, for the years 2005 to 2009 (the latest year available).
	Figures for alcohol-related deaths in the UK, England and Wales, and government office regions are published annually on the National Statistics website at:
	www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=14496
	Figures for deaths related to drug poisoning in England and Wales by sex, age, cause and substance involved are published annually on the National Statistics website at:
	www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=11695
	
		
			  Table 1. Number of deaths where the underlying cause of death was alcohol-related, Pendle local authority, 2005 to 2009( 1, 2, 3) 
			  Persons 
			  Age group  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009 
			 Under 18 0 0 0 0 0 
			 18-24 0 0 0 0 0 
			 25-40 1 2 4 3 0 
			 Over 40 9 8 10 8 16 
			 Total 10 10 14 11 16 
			 (1) Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). The specific conditions which are included in the National Statistics definition of alcohol-related deaths, and their corresponding ICD-10 codes, are shown in Box 1 as follows. (2) Based on boundaries as of 2011. (3 )Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year. 
		
	
	
		
			  Box 1. National Statistics definition of alcohol-related deaths 
			  Cause of death  ICD-10 codes 
			 Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol F10 
			 Degeneration of nervous system due to alcohol G31.2 
			 Alcoholic polyneuropathy G62.1 
			 Alcoholic cardiomyopathy I42.6 
			 Alcoholic gastritis K29.2 
			 Alcoholic liver disease K70 
			 Chronic hepatitis, not elsewhere classified K73 
			 Fibrosis and cirrhosis of liver (excl. Biliary cirrhosis) K74 (excl. K74.3-K74.5) 
			 Alcohol induced chronic pancreatitis K86.0 
			 Accidental poisoning by and exposure to alcohol X45 
			 Intentional self-poisoning by and exposure to alcohol X65 
			 Poisoning by and exposure to alcohol, undetermined intent Y15 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2. Number of deaths where drug poisoning was the underlying cause of death, Pendle local authority, 2005 to 2009( 1, 2, 3) 
			  Persons 
			  Age group  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009 
			 Under 18 0 0 0 1 0 
			 18-24 0 2 1 0 0 
			 25-40 2 1 4 1 3 
			 Over 40 4 5 4 2 5 
			 Total 6 8 9 4 8 
			 (1) Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). The ICD-10 codes for drug poisoning are shown in Box 2 as follows. (2) Based on boundaries as of 2011. (3)Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year. 
		
	
	
		
			  Box 2. ICD-10 codes for deaths related to drug poisoning 
			  Cause of death  ICD-10 codes 
			 Mental and behavioural disorders due to drug use (excluding alcohol and tobacco) F11-F16, F18-F19 
			 Accidental poisoning by drugs, medicaments and biological substances X40-X44 
			 Intentional self-poisoning by drugs, medicaments and biological substances X60-X64 
			 Assault by drugs, medicaments and biological substances X85 
			 Poisoning by drugs, medicaments and biological substances, undetermined intent Y10-Y14

Departmental Public Transport

Maria Eagle: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will publish central government guidance issued to Ministers on modes of transport to use whilst on government business.

Francis Maude: All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code. Section 10 of the Ministerial Code provides guidance to Ministers on travel. A copy of the Ministerial Code is available in the Library of the House.

Government Departments: Procurement

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what training is offered by the National School of Government for senior responsible owners; and how many senior responsible owners have completed such training in each of the last three years.

Francis Maude: During the last three years, the National School of Government has not offered an open programme of training for senior responsible owners.
	The school has delivered the senior responsible owner masterclass as a single client product to various departments and organisations. In the last three years, the following numbers have attended this masterclass:
	2010-11: 20
	2009-10: 88.
	2008-09: 149
	The National School also offers courses on programme and project management which cover SRO responsibilities.
	Following the Review of Public Bodies, I confirmed in a written statement to the House that the National School of Government would no longer be a non-ministerial department. The functions of the School will transfer into the Cabinet Office from 1 April. Further decisions about the school, its staff and sites are expected in due course.
	From April, training and development across Government Departments in leadership, management and the core skills expected of every civil servant should have will be sourced through Civil Service Learning.

New Businesses: Middlesbrough

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many business start-ups there were in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency in each year of the last Parliament; and how many such start-ups there have been since the May 2010 general election.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated March 2011:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many business start-ups there were in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency in each year of the last parliament; and how many such start-ups there have been since the May 2010 General Election.
	Annual statistics on the number of enterprise births are available from 2002 onwards in the ONS release on Business Demography at:
	www.statistics.gov.uk
	The table below contains the latest statistics available, which give the number of enterprise births from 2005 to 2009 in the constituency of Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland. Information relating to 2010 will be available following release of the latest Business Demography publication in December 2011.
	
		
			  Table showing enterprises births in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland 2005-09 
			   Births 
			 2005 220 
			 2006 200 
			 2007 325 
			 2008 235 
			 2009 200

Public Bodies

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 21 March 2011,  Official Report, column 838W, if he will publish the departmental estimates that were collated to arrive at the stated estimates of savings.

Francis Maude: holding answer 31 March 2011
	On the 16 March 2011, I announced that we estimate cumulative administrative savings of £2.6 billion will flow from public bodies over the spending review period.
	The departmental estimates that were collated to arrive at that figure are:
	
		
			  Department  Estimated overall administrative savings from public bodies over SR period (£ million) 
			 BIS 882.00 
			 CO 9.71 
			 CLG 168.62 
			 Local government public bodies 60.54 
			 DCMS 206.35 
			 DEFRA 269.51 
			 DfE 673.88 
			 DH 67.00 
			 MoJ (inc AGO) 86.46 
			 HO 132.00 
			 GEO 37.16 
			 MoD 1.59 
			 DfT 21.59 
			 DWP 17.95 
			 Total 2,634.36 
		
	
	I also announced that when reductions in programme and capital spend are taken into account, we estimate that total spending through public bodies will be reduced by at least £11 billion per year by 2014-15, a cumulative amount of £30 billion over the spending review period. The breakdown of these figures by Department was announced as part of the spending review settlements.

Unemployment: Pendle

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent estimate he has made of the number of workless households in Pendle constituency.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated March 2011:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your question asking what recent estimate has been made of the number of workless households in Pendle constituency. (50963).
	Estimates of the number of workless households are derived from the Annual Population Survey (APS) household datasets. These are currently available for 2004 to 2009. However, due to the specific nature of your request it is not possible to provide reliable estimates because the sample sizes for this survey are not sufficiently large enough for the Pendle constituency.

EDUCATION

Academies: Complaints

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what consideration he has given to the development of an alternative parental complaints mechanism following the abolition of the Young Persons Learning Agency so as to ensure that academies are not required to use their resources defending litigation claims for want of an effective statutory complaints process.

Nick Gibb: Academies are regulated through a funding agreement with the Secretary of State that sets out the obligations placed upon them in return for the funding they are granted. Those obligations include requirements covering a number of areas such as curriculum and assessment, admissions and exclusions. The Secretary of State is responsible for ensuring that the terms of an academy's funding agreement are met. That includes considering complaints from parents about matters covered within the funding agreement to decide whether there has been a breach of the funding agreement by the academy. At the moment, the YPLA considers those complaints on behalf of the Secretary of State. When the YPLA is abolished, the responsibility for handling complaints will return to the Department for Education, either within the relevant policy directorate or a future executive agency.

Academies: Finance

Pat Glass: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  when he expects his Department's review of academy funding for 2011-12 to begin; and what the objectives of that review will be;
	(2)  whether he expects consideration of funding provision for children with low incidence special educational needs undertaken as part of the review of academy funding for 2011-12 to be completed before the School Finance (England) Regulations 2011 come into force.

Nick Gibb: On academy funding in 2011/12, the Department consulted interested parties via the Academy Funding Sub-Group of the School Funding Implementation Group. The aim of the review was to consider the methodology for the future funding of academies for academic year 2011/12 and to identify any issues that needed to be considered for the academic year 2012/13 and beyond. The consultation was intended to inform Ministers and was reflected in the School Funding Settlement announced in December 2010.
	The group considered whether funding for children with special educational needs (SEN) should still be part of the local authority central spend equivalent grant. Furthermore, the Government have listened to the concerns expressed by groups which support children with SEN. Therefore we will not be recovering funding for SEN support services in relation to academies from local authorities in the 2011-12 financial year. We wrote to local authorities on 9 February 2011 to confirm that they do not need to reduce funding for these services as a result of schools converting to academy status. Funding for the individually assigned resources specified in a child's statement will continue to be paid directly from local authorities to academies.
	The School Finance (England) Regulations 2011 came into force on 15 March 2011 and can be viewed at:
	http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2011/371/introduction/made

Brook Advisory Centres

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what meetings  (a) he and  (b) Ministers in his Department have had with (i) Brook Advisory Centres and (ii) the Family Planning Association since May 2010; what issues were discussed; whether a note was made of each meeting; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah Teather: There have been no individual meetings between the Secretary of State for Education, or other DfE Ministers, and officials from either Brook or FPA.
	I have, however, met both Simon Blake (Chief Executive of Brook) and Julie Bentley (Chief Executive of FPA) on a number of occasions:
	First, at meetings of the Teenage Pregnancy Independent Advisory Group (TPIAG)-which both were members of-in September and December 2010; and
	Secondly, when they attended a briefing event I hosted in July 2010, with a number of other stakeholders that support young people on issues related to sexual health and substance misuse.
	There was no note of the July briefing event, but its purpose was to hear the views of key stakeholders on how best to help young people to avoid: unplanned pregnancies and STIs; and the harms resulting from drugs, smoking and alcohol.
	At the TPIAG meeting in September 2010, the main topic of discussion was how services could better support boys and young men with regard to sex, relationships and sexual health. At its December meeting, TPIAG presented its final report to me, a copy of which is available at:
	http://education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/Past%20successes%20-%20future%20challenges.pdf

Class Sizes: Berkshire

Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the average class size of  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in (i) Berkshire, (ii) Reading and (iii) Reading West constituency is.

Nick Gibb: The requested information is shown in the table. Berkshire was reorganised in 1998, so information has been provided for the six local authorities that Berkshire was divided into.
	
		
			  Maintained primary and state-funded secondary schools( 1,2) : Classes as taught( 3)  January 2010 
			   Average class size 
			   Maintained primary( 1)  State-funded secondary( 1,2) 
			 Bracknell Forest 27.1 20.3 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 25.4 19.8 
			 West Berkshire 25.6 18.7 
			 Reading 27.0 19.3 
			 Slough 28.2 19.4 
			 Wokingham 26.1 18.9 
			
			 Reading West 26.8 18.3 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes city technology colleges and academies. (3) One teacher classes as taught during a single selected period in each school on the day of the census in January.  Source: School Census

Education Business Partnerships: Finance

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has for funding education business partnership services in 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 3 February 2011
	Funding for education business partnership services (EBPs) will not continue in financial year 2011-12.
	We have made clear that priority for education expenditure would be on front line services in schools; funding for EBPs does not come within that category. In future, it will be for schools to decide whether or not to buy in services from education business partnership organisations (EBPOs) locally. EBPOs will need to ensure they are offering a high quality service if schools are going to be persuaded to buy their services, and having the Award for Education Business Excellence will signify that.

English Baccalaureate

Ben Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has for the future of the English Baccalaureate; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The inclusion of the English Baccalaureate measure in the 2010 performance tables has already had a positive impact on GCSE choices in schools. It forms a key part of our plans to raise aspirations and increase academic attainment in secondary schools.

Health Education: Sex

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what meetings he has had to discuss sex and relationship education since May 2010; and which  (a) individuals and  (b) organisations attended each such meeting.

Nick Gibb: As my hon. Friend will recall, he met the Secretary of State for Education on 8 February 2011 with the hon. Member for Peterborough (Mr Jackson), the hon. Member for Chelsea and Fulham (Greg Hands) and the hon. Member for Suffolk Coastal (Dr Coffey) to discuss sex and relationships education. He has had no further meetings on this subject.
	The Schools White Paper 2010, The Importance of Teaching sets out the Government's intention to work with teachers, parents, faith groups and campaign groups such as Stonewall to make sure sex and relationships education encompasses an understanding of the ways in which humans love each other and stresses the importance of respecting individual autonomy.

Schools: Drugs

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what educational materials, other than information produced by Frank, warning of the dangers attached to drug use his Department supplies to  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what methods his Department is using to deliver classroom-based drug prevention programmes in (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 31 March 2011
	All schools should teach pupils about the effects of drugs (including alcohol, tobacco, volatile substances and medicines) through the non-statutory framework for Personal, Social, Health and Economic education (PSHE) and as part of the statutory National Curriculum for Science. The Department's guidance, 'Drugs: Guidance for Schools (DfES 2004)', makes clear that drug education should start in primary schools and outlines the issues that should be covered in all key stages, having regard to the age and maturity of the pupils concerned. As part of their drug education, pupils should learn how to make informed choices about their health, how to resist pressure to do wrong and to take more responsibility for their actions. The guidance is available at:
	www.education.gov.uk/publications
	We are committed to giving schools greater freedoms and flexibility, so we leave it to them to decide how they teach these basic requirements and what resources they use to support their teaching. For this reason, we do not promote, endorse or supply any educational materials to be used. We believe it is important that schools have the flexibility to use their professional judgment in such matters so that they can take account of the views of parents and the needs of pupils, as well as of the ethos of the school.

Science: Education

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to promote the teaching of science in schools.

Nick Gibb: The Schools White Paper, 'The Importance of Teaching', highlights the Government's commitment to promoting the teaching of science in schools by improving the skills of existing teachers and increasing the number of specialist subject teachers of science. The Government have taken steps to improve teacher supply and Initial Teacher Training designed to promote the teaching of science. These include expanding Teach First, and offering financial incentives to attract the very best graduates and talented career changers to become teachers in shortage subjects, like physics and chemistry. Inclusion of science in the new English Baccalaureate will help reinforce the importance of science education.
	We plan to announce what further support will be made available to promote science teaching in schools in due course.

Secondary Education: Work Experience

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he plans to take to increase the number of students in secondary schools participating in high-quality work experience.

Nick Gibb: Professor Wolf concluded in her recent report on the "Review of Vocational Education" that providing 16 to 18-year-olds with work opportunities was a priority, and she questioned the value of much of the work experience that young people at Key Stage 4 undertake. We therefore have no plans to increase the number of students at Key Stage 4 in secondary schools participating in high quality work experience. This is consistent with our Schools White Paper, "The Importance of Teaching", where we set out our aim to trust frontline professionals in schools, rather than constrain them by central plans. Secondary schools are best placed to work with local employers to determine how to provide high quality work experience for their Key Stage 4 pupils.

Sixth Form Education

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 7 March 2011,  Official Report, column 889W, on sixth form education, what assessments he undertook prior to his decision to reduce the funding for entitlement to 30 funded learning hours.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 17 March 2011
	We considered a range of options in order to secure our commitment to full participation among 16 and 17-year-olds by 2015 and to deliver the unit costs savings announced as part of the 16-19 spending review settlement.
	Our priority has been to protect the core education programmes offered by schools and colleges that equip young people with the knowledge and skills they need to progress and succeed. We have also increased the funding available to target disadvantage by more than one third (in 2011/12 the total funding will be £770 million) to help support those students who face the greatest barriers to participation in 16-19 education. We also recognise tutorial provision for all is important and that is why we have protected that within the entitlement reduction so that all full time students can have access to a tutorial programme.
	In light of these priorities and the state of the public finances inherited from the previous Government, the entitlement was reduced because the evidence to support the claim that the enrichment activity within the entitlement provided value for money was weak.
	That is not to say that the Government regard the other activities that might be funded from the public purse as additional enrichment activities as unimportant. However, at a time when we are experiencing a welcome increase in participation, alongside a need to respond to extremely difficult economic circumstances, providing an entitlement to those activities to all full-time students cannot be a priority.

Truancy: Berkshire

Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the rate of truancy is for secondary schools in  (a) Berkshire,  (b) Reading and  (c) Reading West constituency; and what steps he is taking to reduce levels of truancy.

Nick Gibb: Information on pupil absence in 2009/10 is shown in the table. Berkshire was reorganised in 1998, information has been provided for the six local authorities that Berkshire was divided into.
	The closest measure we have to truancy is unauthorised absence. However, this includes family holidays not agreed, late arrival, "other unauthorised circumstances", and "no reason given", not all of which is truancy.
	
		
			  Pupil absence in state-funded secondary schools( 1,2) : 2009/10 
			Percentage of half days missed( 3) 
			   Pupil enrolments in schools during 2009/10( 4)  Authorised absence  Unauthorised absence  Overall absence  Percentage of persistent absentees( 5,6) 
			 Bracknell Forest 5,646 0.06 0.01 0.07 0.04 
			 Reading 5,205 0.05 0.01 0.06 0.03 
			 Slough 8,175 0.06 0.01 0.07 0.04 
			 West Berkshire 10,062 0.05 0.01 0.07 0.04 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 8,641 0.05 0.01 0.06 0.03 
			 Wokingham 8,677 0.05 0.01 0.07 0.04 
			 Reading West constituency 5,958 0.06 0.01 0.07 0.05 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Excludes city technology colleges and academies. (3) The number of sessions missed due to authorised/unauthorised/overall absence expressed as a percentage of the total number of possible sessions. (4) Number of pupil enrolments in schools from start of the school year until 21 May 2010. Includes pupils on the school roll for at least one session who are aged between five and 15. Excludes boarders. Some pupils may be counted more than once (if they moved schools during the school year or are registered in more than one school). (5) Number of persistent absentees expressed as a percentage of the total number of enrolments. (6) Persistent absentees are defined as having 64 or more sessions of absence (authorised and unauthorised) during the year, around 20% overall absence rate.  Source: School Census

HOME DEPARTMENT

Arrest Warrants

Richard Drax: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations she has made to her counterpart in Poland on the number of European arrest warrants issued by that country.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 29 March 2011
	The Minister of State for Security and Counter-terrorism (Baroness Neville-Jones) discussed the operation of the European Arrest Warrant with the Polish Justice Minister, Mr Krzysztof Kwiatkowski, on 10 March 2011. The Minister underlined the UK's view that proportionality should be carefully considered by requesting member states before they issue a European Arrest Warrant. The issue of proportionality and the European arrest warrant has also been discussed by officials during bi-lateral discussions in October 2008 and September 2010. Further official-led discussions are envisaged for later in 2011.

Arrest Warrants

Richard Drax: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the likely future change in the number of European arrest warrants received by the UK as a result of proposals to implement the Schengen Information System II during 2012.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 29 March 2011
	The UK's connection date to the Schengen Information System II (SIS II) has been revised following the announcement last June of the Commission's revised operational timetable, giving a new entry into operation date for the central EU system of early 2013. The UK's SIS II Programme has also been the subject of a major project review conducted by HM Treasury and the Office for Government Commerce. This assessed that the programme is in a good position to deliver its objectives but in the light of the announcement of the delay to the central system, it recommended that the UK's connection date be moved back until 2015. In reality a UK go live date of 2015 means that we will need to connect for testing purposes in 2014, shortly after the central system is due to be ready and the member states migrating from SIS I have bedded down their new systems Further assessments of the number of European Arrest Warrants on the SIS II system and their likely impact on the United Kingdom will be made nearer the UK go live date.

Arrest Warrants: Costs

Richard Drax: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total cost to the UK was of the European Arrest Warrant system in each year since 2004.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 29 March 2011
	An exercise is under way to estimate the average cost of executing an European Arrest Warrant and an extradition request in England and Wales, and the results will be available in due course.

Arrest Warrants: Human Rights

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she plans to respond to the statement by the Human Rights Commissioner of the Council of Europe on Overuse of the European Arrest Warrant: a threat to human rights.

Nick Herbert: The Government are aware that concerns as to the proportionate use of the European arrest warrant ('EAW') have been expressed by a number of people. This is why the operation of the EAW is one of the areas being examined by the independent panel appointed by the Government to review the UK's extradition arrangements.
	It would, however, be inappropriate to comment on the statement ahead of the completion of the review, which is due to be published by the end of the summer, 2011. A copy of the statement has however been passed to the extradition review panel.

Assaults on Police

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many assaults on a police constable in England and Wales were reported in  (a) 2006,  (b) 2007,  (c) 2008,  (d) 2009 and  (e) 2010.

Nick Herbert: Available data are provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Assaults( 1)  on police constables on duty, England and Wales, 2005-06 to 2009-10 
			   Assaults 
			 2005-06(2) 11,664 
			 2006-07(3) - 
			 2007-08(4) 9,059 
			 2008-09(5) 8,895 
			 2009-10(6) 7,388 
			 (1) These data are provisional. (2) Cambridgeshire, Cleveland and Devon and Cornwall police forces were not able to provide data for 2005-06. (3) Data not available. A significant number of police forces were unable to provide their figures for 2006-07. 4. Cumbria, Greater Manchester, South Wales, North Yorkshire and Wiltshire were unable to provide data for 2007-08. 5. Cheshire, Cumbria, Essex and North Yorkshire were not able to provide data for 2008-09. 6. Cheshire, Gloucestershire, Greater Manchester, Hampshire and North Yorkshire were not able to provide data for 2009-10.

Border Agency

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she last met the Chief Inspector of the UK Border Agency; and what issues they discussed.

Damian Green: The Secretary of State met with the independent Chief Inspector of the UK Border Agency on 24 March 2011 to discuss his Inspection Plan for 2011-12. The plan was published on 31 March 2011 on the Chief Inspector's website.

Crimes of Violence: West Midlands

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of levels of violent crime in the west midlands in each of the last three years.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 21 March 2011
	Data supplied in Table A are for police recorded violence against the person offences. Data are provided for west midlands alongside the total figures for England and Wales for each year from 2007-08 to 2009-10.
	
		
			  Recorded violence against the person offences in west midlands and England and Wales, 2007-08 to 2009-10 
			  Area  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 West midlands 53,335 48,222 47,396 
			 England and Wales 961,099 903,447 871,712

Cybercrime

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions  (a) she and  (b) Ministers in her Department have had with their EU counterparts on establishing international law in the area of cyber-attack.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 10 March 2011
	The UK Government continues to work closely with European Union counterparts and the representatives of European member states to increase our collective response to cyber attacks. This includes ongoing discussions regarding the potential application of international law in the area of cyber attack.
	The Secretary of State for the Home Department discussed cyber issues with her counterparts at the G6 meeting in Krakow of 3-4 February, as she reported in her written ministerial statement to Parliament of 11 February 2011,  Official Report, column 23WS.
	The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice, my noble Friend (Lord McNally), participated in a discussion on the draft directive on attacks against information systems at the Justice and Home Affairs Council on 25 February, as reported in the Secretary of State for the Home Department's written ministerial statement of 3 March 2011,  Official Report, column 37WS.
	The UK Government will continue to work multilaterally and bilaterally to support work to protect the UK's interests in cyber space.

Demonstrations

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will request the Metropolitan police to publish the report of its internal investigation into the use of CS gas at the protest at the Boots store on Oxford street, London on 30 January 2011.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 30 March 2011
	A decision on the publication of a Metropolitan police internal investigation report into the use of CS gas is a matter for the Commissioner for the Metropolitan Police.

Departmental Public Bodies

Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what estimate her Department has made of the level of savings which will accrue from the merging of the Serious Organised Crime Agency into the new National Crime Agency;
	(2)  what estimate her Department has made of the level of savings which will accrue from the abolition of the National Policing Improvement Agency;
	(3)  what estimate her Department has made of the level of savings which will accrue from the abolition of the Security Industry Authority.

Nick Herbert: The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), issued a written ministerial statement on 16 March 2011,  Official Report, columns 9-10WS, updating Parliament on progress on public bodies reform. That statement also announced that Departments estimate cumulative administrative savings of at least £2.6 billion will flow from public bodies over the spending review period.
	The Home Office is not yet in a position to estimate net overall administrative savings from specific structural reforms such as the creation of the National Crime Agency in December 2013, the phasing out of the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA), and the transition from the Security Industry Authority to a new self-regulatory regime by the end of 2013.

DNA: Databases

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many DNA samples police forces submitted to the National DNA Database in each of the last three years.

James Brokenshire: The following table shows the number of subject sample profiles and the number of crime scene sample profiles loaded onto the National DNA Database (NDNAD) in each of the last three years. The figures are for profiles submitted on behalf of all UK forces.
	The data provided are management information and have not been formally assessed for compliance with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.
	
		
			  Number of subject sample and crime scene sample profiles loaded onto the NDNAD in each year 2007-08 to 2009-10 from all forces in the UK 
			   Number of sample profiles loaded  Number of crime scene sample profiles loaded 
			 2007-08 591,028 50,579 
			 2008-09 580,174 49,572 
			 2009-10 540,333 43,974

Human Trafficking

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will press all airlines using UK airports to introduce measures to enable them to determine whether they are free of trafficked persons.

Damian Green: The UK Border Agency's Risk and Liaison Overseas Network (RALON) officers work closely with airlines and provide training and support overseas on trafficking and related immigration issues to help carriers identify potential traffickers and their victims.
	The e-Borders programme is enabling us to collect and analyse information from carriers about passengers intending to travel to or from the UK. This record of passenger movements informs us in advance who plans to cross our border so that we can check travellers against lists of people known to pose a threat such as traffickers.
	The Government's forthcoming strategy on human trafficking will reflect plans for further engagement with the airline industry and to enhance knowledge of trafficking in this sector.

Illegal Immigrants

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with the Scottish Executive on steps to combat illegal migration.

Damian Green: The matter is discussed on an ongoing basis as part of regular meetings between UK Border Agency officials and officials from the Scottish Government and the Scottish police service. It has not been the subject of recent discussions at ministerial level.

Immigration Controls

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what economic impact assessment her Department undertook on the decision to implement a visa cap.

Damian Green: An impact assessment in respect of the Government's policy to apply limits to tiers 1 and 2 of the points based system was published, and placed in the Library of the House, on 16 March 2011.

Immigration Controls

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what meetings  (a) she and  (b) Ministers in her Department have had with ministerial colleagues in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on the decision to implement a visa cap; on what dates such meetings occurred; and who was present at each such meeting.

Damian Green: The Secretary of State and I regularly meet our ministerial colleagues at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to discuss matters relating to migration, including the limit on non-EU economic migration.

Marriage of Convenience

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what steps she is taking to tackle sham marriages; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  how many people have been arrested for offences related to sham marriages in each of the last five years.

Damian Green: Since January 2010 the UK Border Agency have been working to develop effective strategies for tackling sham marriage. The UK Border Agency is working with the civil registration services and the relevant authorities within the Anglican Church in England and Wales, who are all committed to helping us to tackle the problem of sham marriage.
	The UK Border Agency is offering training and awareness sessions at local level as well as assisting in the development of effective guidance. The UK Border Agency is working to develop closer links with register offices and dioceses at a local level to provide support to those who can identify potentially suspicious marriages and to facilitate early detection and appropriate action against foreign nationals seeking to gain an immigration advantage from a sham marriage. Since January 2010 two periods of targeted enforcement actions have been conducted against those involved in sham marriages, which resulted in 155 arrests.
	The UK Border Agency records data relating to offenders arrested on the National Operations Database (NOD). Data are available from 2007-08 and record the following numbers of arrests for offences specifically related to marriage abuse.
	
		
			   Number 
			 April 2006 to March 2007 4 
			 April 2007 to March 2008 7 
			 April 2008 to March 2009 2 
			 April 2009 to March 2010 5 
			 April 2010 to February 2011 37 
		
	
	(The NOD is a management information tool and data from it are not quality assured under National Statistics protocols. Figures provided from the NOD do not constitute part of National Statistics and should be treated as provisional).
	As well as offences specifically related to marriage abuse, persons were also arrested for general immigration offences such as illegal entry or overstaying a period of lawful entry.
	The UK Border Agency, in conjunction with the Crown Prosecution Service, has brought successful prosecutions against a number of persons involved in sham marriages for offences under the Immigration Acts, Perjury Act, ID Cards Act and Fraud Act.

Migrant Workers

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many visas in the category of  (a) temporary worker (creative and sporting),  (b) temporary worker (charity worker),  (c) temporary worker (religious worker),  (d) temporary worker (government authorised exchange),  (e) temporary worker (international agreement) and  (f) Youth Mobility scheme Tier 5 were issued in 2010.

Damian Green: The following table gives the requested figures.
	
		
			  Category  Issued 
			 Tier 5 (creative and sporting) 7,760 
			 Tier 5 (charity worker) 2,260 
			 Tier 5 (religious worker) 1,550 
			 Tier 5 (government authorised exchange) 3,235 
			 Tier 5 (international agreement) 455 
			 Tier 5 (youth mobility scheme) 20,720 
			 Total 35,980 
		
	
	These figures are published by the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics and are available online at:
	http://rds.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs11/control-immigration-q4-2010-tabs.xls

Police

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the ratio of police to public was in each police force area in England and Wales in each year since 1997.

Nick Herbert: The latest available data are provided in the following table which shows the number of officers per 100,000 population as at 31 March 1997 to 2010 by police force area (full-time equivalent). These figures have been published in the Police Service Strength in England and Wales bulletin for each year.
	
		
			  N umber of officers per 100,000 population as at 31 March 1997 to 2010 by police force area( 1) -England and Wales 
			  Total officers per 100,000 population( 2) 
			  Police force  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009  2010 
			 Avon and Somerset 204 203 203 197 197 205 213 229 225 226 224 218 213 207 
			 Bedfordshire 200 197 189 185 184 189 198 210 215 213 207 204 209 208 
			 Cambridgeshire 188 184 179 172 179 187 196 197 194 196 187 183 191 191 
			 Cheshire 209 208 211 204 204 209 217 224 223 223 225 218 217 215 
			 Cleveland 261 266 255 252 253 263 294 314 305 308 315 303 314 309 
			 Cumbria 233 237 229 220 213 224 237 254 257 256 255 251 258 250 
			 Derbyshire 187 184 182 183 187 189 210 216 213 212 209 212 215 207 
			 Devon and Cornwall 186 192 186 182 187 192 204 208 212 219 216 214 213 213 
			 Dorset 189 192 186 189 196 198 205 209 211 216 217 216 213 209 
			 Durham 240 249 258 256 263 266 281 288 293 288 285 272 263 249 
			 Essex 197 193 190 183 178 181 186 192 198 203 203 203 206 211 
			 Gloucestershire 205 198 197 200 209 209 219 229 230 228 229 234 235 223 
			 Greater Manchester 268 270 265 264 268 279 298 323 321 318 314 315 321 316 
			 Hampshire 198 199 197 193 193 195 208 211 212 211 215 214 207 202 
			 Hertfordshire 205 202 198 201 184 174 191 204 206 208 210 204 204 196 
			 Humberside 230 228 223 219 217 234 244 256 255 251 251 248 233 225 
			 Kent 210 209 204 203 209 210 221 228 227 227 229 227 231 229 
			 Lancashire 228 229 228 223 228 231 239 252 251 253 252 254 259 253 
			 Leicestershire 211 214 215 215 218 224 232 246 246 241 237 233 243 236 
			 Lincolnshire 196 193 184 179 191 189 191 189 185 183 183 175 177 173 
			 London, City of - - - - - - - - - - - - - 7,521 
			 Merseyside 296 297 298 290 291 294 302 303 318 315 325 331 333 334 
			 Metropolitan police 367 356 352 341 351 366 404 420 433 417 426 430 432 436 
			 Norfolk 185 184 176 175 178 183 189 190 192 193 191 190 198 196 
			 Northamptonshire 196 193 186 181 186 194 194 198 201 207 200 196 196 198 
			 Northumbria 256 263 269 266 272 278 290 294 294 291 283 285 294 298 
			 North Yorkshire 183 186 181 173 175 188 193 203 206 216 217 202 185 188 
			 Nottinghamshire 225 225 216 214 214 226 239 245 245 243 235 224 227 225 
			 South Yorkshire 242 244 243 243 245 246 252 261 260 259 256 248 235 226 
			 Staffordshire 209 217 211 204 201 201 212 218 220 219 219 214 208 203 
			 Suffolk 180 179 179 171 168 177 188 196 195 191 196 188 182 175 
			 Surrey 209 207 212 227 192 184 182 183 184 184 183 179 170 172 
			 Sussex 211 203 191 188 188 190 203 206 205 207 205 201 208 207 
			 Thames Valley 180 183 180 178 175 177 186 195 198 202 199 194 198 201 
			 Warwickshire 186 185 180 178 182 190 198 197 195 198 199 198 189 182 
			 West Mercia 183 180 180 166 171 176 196 202 203 202 205 210 208 201 
			 West Midlands 270 271 278 274 283 293 307 311 316 318 318 324 332 329 
			 West Yorkshire 247 244 236 228 228 230 242 254 271 270 270 269 268 261 
			 Wiltshire 195 195 192 185 184 189 190 198 198 196 192 190 191 182 
			 Dyfed-Powys 212 210 215 217 219 234 237 236 237 237 236 237 236 236 
			 Gwent 275 222 224 227 229 239 244 248 259 264 268 266 257 257 
			 North Wales 208 213 212 213 220 228 234 243 250 242 238 234 234 234 
			 South Wales 223 242 241 236 250 259 273 275 273 271 273 264 255 253 
			 Total of all 43 forces 241 240 237 233 234 240 254 264 267 267 266 264 266 264 
			 (1) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. (2) Officers per 100,000 population for City of London and Metropolitan Police are combined apart from in 2009-10.

Police

Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has for future numbers of front line police officers in England.

Nick Herbert: It is for chief constables and their police authorities to make decisions on the number of police officers within their available resource. The Government believe that forces can make savings while maintaining or improving the service they provide to the public.

Police

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions she has had with Ministerial colleagues on arrangements to improve liaison between police services and other emergency responders; what assessment she has made of the preparedness for major incidents requiring close working between blue-light services and other responders; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Herbert: The strategic defence and security review records Ministers agreed intention to improve the ability of the emergency services to work together during emergencies. This includes implementation of procedures to enable the emergency services and other responders to make best use of communications during major incidents and the development and refinement of operational plans for dealing with a range of different types of incident. The Cabinet Office is leading work to maximise the multi-agency response to a wide range of scenarios.
	Detailed resilience plans are developed locally, and in most cases the police service will coordinate the activities of the emergency services and other responding agencies at and around the scene of an emergency or major incident.
	The response to any emergency or major incident needs to be managed flexibly as each incident is unique and the response needs to be co-ordinated in a manner to reflect local needs and circumstances.

Police: Diamond Jubilee 2012

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether serving police officers will be awarded a diamond jubilee medal; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Herbert: Commemoration of the diamond jubilee through the issuing of a medal is under consideration. Further details will be released in due course.

Police: Manpower

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she has conducted  (a) an equality impact assessment and  (b) a risk assessment on the effects of proposed reductions in police numbers in England and Wales in the next two years.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 17 March 2011
	The Home Office published an equality screening of the Spending Review 2010 on 20 October 2010. Chief constables and police authorities will need to consider the local impact and risks of decisions they take when making decisions about how they allocate resources. Forces should be focusing on the middle and the back office when making savings in order to maintain frontline services.

Police: Manpower

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many CID officers there were in each police force in  (a) each year since 2008 and  (b) in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 23 March 2011
	The requested information is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Police officers whose primary function is Criminal Investigation Department (CID)( 1) , England and Wales, as at 31 March, 2008 - 10 (FTE)( 2)  by police force 
			  Police force  2008( 3)  2009( 4)  2010( 4,5) 
			 Avon and Somerset 503 512 343 
			 Bedfordshire 129 185 181 
			 Cambridgeshire 173 183 254 
			 Cheshire 507 367 364 
			 Cleveland 176 201 200 
			 Cumbria 127 98 100 
			 Derbyshire 325 337 348 
			 Devon and Cornwall 498 495 525 
			 Dorset 218 197 175 
			 Durham 172 153 141 
			 Dyfed-Powys 70 93 101 
			 Essex 350 328 343 
			 Gloucestershire 163 160 157 
			 Greater Manchester 1,238 1,052 1,195 
			 Gwent 153 154 113 
			 Hampshire 430 419 435 
			 Hertfordshire 208 372 341 
			 Humberside 430 408 374 
			 Kent 562 589 535 
			 Lancashire 461 503 513 
			 Leicestershire 253 219 299 
			 Lincolnshire 131 119 113 
			 London, City of 105 85 88 
			 Merseyside 526 526 567 
			 Metropolitan police 4,087 3,736 3,807 
			 Norfolk 167 145 172 
			 Northamptonshire 113 141 271 
			 Northumbria 484 534 496 
			 North Wales 114 112 169 
			 North Yorkshire 166 169 134 
			 Nottinghamshire 385 385 348 
			 South Wales 521 385 441 
			 South Yorkshire 472 404 503 
			 Staffordshire 295 280 347 
			 Suffolk 171 166 174 
			 Surrey 216 383 414 
			 Sussex 293 318 322 
			 Thames Valley 433 483 460 
			 Warwickshire 140 124 127 
			 West Mercia 290 294 313 
			 West Midlands 1,044 1,079 1,109 
			 West Yorkshire 1,103 935 556 
			 Wiltshire 120 161 150 
			 (1) Staff with multiple responsibilities (or designations) are recorded under their primary role or function. The deployment of police officers is an operational matter for individual chief constables. (2) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. (3). Includes CID Aides/Trainee Investigators. (4) Includes CID Specialist Crime Units. (5) Data are correct as at 5 October 2010.

Police: Olympic Games 2012

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will estimate the likely effects of reductions in her Department's budget on frontline police staffing levels at the London 2012 Olympics.

Nick Herbert: By improving efficiency, driving out waste, and increasing productivity, I believe that the service can make the savings required while protecting its frontline policing capacity, including in relation to the London 2012 Olympics.
	The Government will make up to £600 million available, if required, for the Olympic safety and security programme. At this stage, with almost two years before the Games begin, we estimate that it should be possible to deliver the core cross-Government safety and security programme for about £475 million. We will continue to keep security planning and policing for the Games under review, but we are satisfied that sufficient funding has been made available to deliver the security programme in full.

Police: Overtime

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information her Department holds on the level of overtime payments to full-time police officers at basic command unit level.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 22 March 2011
	The Home Office does not collect information on overtime at basic command unit level. And it could be collated only at disproportionate cost.

Police: Termination of Employment

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers have left each police force in England and Wales during 2010-11 to date.

Nick Herbert: Available information relates to police officers leaving forces for the six month period to 30 September 2010 and is given in the table.
	Statistics for the whole of 2010-11 are scheduled for publication in July 2011.
	
		
			  Police officer leavers( 1, 2)  England and Wales police forces at 30 September 2010( 3) 
			  Police force  Leavers 
			 Avon and Somerset 74 
			 Bedfordshire 25 
			 Cambridgeshire 41 
			 Cheshire 45 
			 Cleveland 30 
			 Cumbria 34 
			 Derbyshire 38 
			 Devon and Cornwall 67 
			 Dorset 27 
			 Durham 46 
			 Dyfed-Powys 32 
			 Essex 57 
			 Gloucestershire 20 
			 Greater Manchester 174 
			 Gwent 22 
			 Hampshire 96 
			 Hertfordshire 37 
			 Humberside 52 
			 Kent 75 
			 Lancashire 91 
			 Leicestershire 47 
			 Lincolnshire 32 
			 London, City of 19 
			 Merseyside 97 
			 Metropolitan police 619 
			 Norfolk 35 
			 Northamptonshire 32 
			 Northumbria 64 
			 North Wales 32 
			 North Yorkshire 22 
			 Nottinghamshire 65 
			 South Wales 67 
			 South Yorkshire 69 
			 Staffordshire 41 
			 Suffolk 26 
			 Surrey 50 
			 Sussex 69 
			 Thames Valley 124 
			 Warwickshire 21 
			 West Mercia 100 
			 West Midlands 200 
			 West Yorkshire 143 
			 Wiltshire 28 
			 (1) Full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. (2) Includes normal retirements, medical retirements, resignations, dismissals and death but not transfers to other England and Wales forces and officers leaving after a period of secondment. (3) Leavers numbers are for the six month period to 30 September 2010.

Serious Organised Crime: Finance

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the budget of the Serious Organised Crime Agency was in each year since its inception.

Nick Herbert: The information is as follows:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2006-07 427.6 
			 2007-08 444.7 
			 2008-09 474.7 
			 2009-10 478.0 
			 2010-11 469.8

Serious Organised Crime: Manpower

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff at each payband the Serious Organised Crime Agency employs in  (a) the UK and  (b) Northern Ireland.

Nick Herbert: At the end of February 2011 the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) employed the following staff at each pay band in the UK:
	
		
			  Grade  Full-time equivalent 
			 SCS 30.9 
			 SG1 83.3 
			 SG2 211 
			 SG3 582.7 
			 SG4 1194.3 
			 SG5 1434.4 
			 SG6 356 
		
	
	(b) SOCA has a UK-wide remit and has officers deployed throughout the UK and overseas. Staff are not necessarily based in the region or area on which their work has an impact. For reasons of operational sensitivity it is not possible to provide details of personnel strength in specific locations.

Serious Organised Crime: Northern Ireland

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions she has had with the Justice Minister in the Northern Ireland Executive on the work of the Serious Organised Crime Agency in Northern Ireland.

Nick Herbert: None. However the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) has regular discussions at official level with the Ministry of Justice in Northern Ireland. Officials are briefed regularly on the work of SOCA and are consulted in the preparation of the SOCA Annual Plan. SOCA is a member of the Organised Crime Task Force (OCTF), chaired by the Minister, and attends both the stakeholder and strategy groups. SOCA also contributes to specific OCTF work streams where it is able to add value.

Serious Organised Crime: Terrorism

Richard Drax: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of European arrest warrants issued to the UK were in respect of serious organised crime or terrorism offences in each year since 2004 for which figures are available.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 29 March 2011
	The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service for Scotland are the designated UK authorities responsible for processing European arrest warrants (EAWs).
	It is not possible to provide the figures for the number of EAWs issued to the UK broken down by offence type prior to April 2009. This would require a manual examination of all case files. A new recording system was introduced in April 2009 and the figures for EAWs issued to the UK broken down by offence type are available for the 2009-10 financial year. This is set out in the following table.
	It is not possible to provide the figures for the number of EAWs issued to the UK in respect of serious organised crime specifically as this is not one of the recording categories used. To provide this figure a manual review of all files would have to be undertaken.
	It is worth noting that the majority of European arrest warrants ('EAWs') issued by EU member states are circulated to other EU member states on the Schengen Information System ('SIS'). As the UK is not party to the SIS, we rely on the bi-lateral transmission of the EAWs. A significant proportion of the EAWs circulated will therefore prove to have no connection to the UK although they are registered as having been "received" by SOCA. This includes, for example, the 40 EAWs issued in April 2009 for alleged war crimes. We understand that those sought have no connection to the UK.
	
		
			   2009  2010  
			   Apr  May  Jun  Jul  Aug  Sep  Oc t  Nov  Dec  Jan  Feb  Ma r  Total 
			 Armed Robbery 3 3 2 5 2 4 16 3 3 6 5 4 56 
			 Arms Trafficking - - - - - 2 - - - - - 1 3 
			 Arson 1 1 - - 1 - - - - 1 1 1 6 
			 Child Sex Offences 6 18 4 5 2 2 11 3 2 3 6 2 64 
			 Counterfeiting - - 2 1 3 - 4 1 - - 6 2 19 
			 Drugs Trafficking 40 33 40 38 29 52 56 32 31 36 36 21 444 
			 E-Crime - - - - - 1 1 - 1 - - - 3 
			 Fraud 49 46 55 73 48 94 118 72 45 93 117 81 891 
			 Grievous Bodily Harm 5 6 8 21 10 10 23 18 9 20 20 10 160 
			 Immigration and Human Trafficking 8 9 6 12 7 10 9 14 9 18 10 10 122 
			 Kidnapping 2 1 1 - - 1 2 1 3 3 9 7 30 
			 Money Laundering - - 1 - - 1 1 - - 3 8 1 15 
			 Murder 27 54 33 5 4 10 7 5 5 10 1 5 166 
			 Other 71 41 59 78 53 72 84 49 40 44 65 56 712 
			 Rape 20 46 26 9 4 9 6 2 2 4 4 10 142 
			 Robbery 26 14 24 46 26 38 44 28 24 38 54 28 390 
			 Terrorism 7 5 11 6 5 4 6 1 4 9 2 17 (1)77 
			 Theft 59 37 61 79 45 93 104 60 26 62 73 56 755 
			 War Crimes 40 - - - - 4 - - - - - 1 45 
			 Grand total 364 314 333 378 239 407 492 289 204 350 417 313 4,100 
			 (1) Previous data provided to the House of Lords' EU Select Committee referred to 84 EAWs (part one warrants) received by the UK for terrorist-related offences. A further data cleansing exercise carried out by SOCA has revealed that seven of these cases as requests from non-EU countries.

Telephone Tapping: Newspaper Press

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information her Department holds on contact between the Police Commissioner for the Metropolis and  News of the World editors during the time the Commissioner was responsible for investigating telephone tapping.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 18 March 2011
	The Home Office holds no such information.

Vetting: International Organisations

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedures are in place to enable international organisations to access the criminal records checking procedures of UK institutions.

Lynne Featherstone: International organisations do not have access to the UK's criminal records disclosure services. Individuals can choose to supply a "basic" certificate disclosing their unspent convictions to international organisations. These are currently provided by Disclosure Scotland and AccessNI. The Government are currently considering a recommendation, made by Sunita Mason in her recent Phase 1 report reviewing the Criminal Records' Regime, that the Criminal Records Bureau should make a basic certificate available in England and Wales.
	Under the terms of European Union Council Decision 2005/876/JHA law enforcement agencies in an EU member state can seek the previous convictions of a UK national being prosecuted in that member state. Requests are received by the UK Central Authority for the Exchange of Criminal Records. If identity can be confirmed the UK Central Authority will send the convictions, or information that there are none, to the requesting member state. Requests that do not concern criminal proceedings are also sent to the Central Authority. The Central Authority will reply using the same procedures, as long as the purpose of the request is one for which access to previous convictions would be possible in a domestic case.
	Parties to the 1959 Council of Europe Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters who are not in the EU can make requests, in cases of criminal proceedings, under the terms of that Convention. Countries which are not in the EU and are not parties to the 1959 Convention can make a request in cases of criminal proceedings, through the Serious Organised Crime Agency.